Good and bad of 2022 — Bill Gates pens his predictions

In a New Year note filled with hope and poignancy, billionaire Bill Gates recalls the victories and tragedies of the year just ending, and expresses optimism for the one about to begin. Amid the optimism though, there is some caution, as the Microsoft co-founder writes about what he is “most worried about heading into 2022”.

In his blog post titled Reasons for optimism after a difficult year, Gates also talks about how the pandemic has made day-to-day life all the more dependent on digital technology. There are some personal thoughts, too, as he talks of his divorce from Melinda Gates, and newly acquired empty-nest, with all their three children away at school and college.

Reasons for optimism

“My work has always been driven by a simple idea: The world can get better,” writes Gates. “A big setback like the pandemic makes it harder to believe that progress is possible. I’m still optimistic, though, about our ability to build a world where everyone has the chance to live a healthy and productive life.”

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The ‘biggest’ good news is that people are finally convinced that stopping the pandemic is important, says the billionaire. “I’m hopeful that we’ll see broad support for pandemic preparedness efforts,” he says. “I’m currently writing a book that will come out some time next year, which lays out my plan for making sure that COVID-19 is the last pandemic.”

Gates is also upbeat on the innovation front. “I expect lots of progress as R&D that was put on hold by the pandemic picks up steam,” he says, adding that he’s particularly excited about islatravir, a new HIV preventative drug that’s currently undergoing clinical trials. Similarly, he expects good progress in Alzheimer’s diagnostics.

He talks of several other things to look forward to, from the ending of the COVID pandemic to substantial progress in the area of climate change.

Cause for concern

Outlining the problem areas, Gates says people’s distrust of governments could halt or slow down progress. For public institutions to address issues such as preventing pandemics and climate change, people should stop rejecting their guidance on principle, he observes.

“There are many reasons for this growing divide, including a 24-hour news cycle, a political climate that rewards headline generation over substantive debate, and the rise of social media,” says Gates. “This is part of a larger trend toward distrust in institutions, and it’s one of the issues I’m most worried about heading into 2022.” Going forward, governments may have to regulate online platforms to rein this in, he adds.

“I’ve never been a big New Year’s resolution person,” says Gates. “I don’t have any specific goal in mind for 2022. But what I do hope is that next year is a lot more settled than this one.”